One ocean - many worlds of life

Lionel Wijesiri

Walking along the shores of the Down South, it is amazing to see the abundance of life hidden in the rocks and clinging to the shoreline. If one looks long enough, turns enough rocks, and wades in just deep enough, one will be pleasantly surprised at the great marine biodiversity found there. However, our coastal biodiversity is but the tip of the iceberg as far as life that exists on this blue planet.

From the ocean around our country we derive much aesthetic pleasure. Whether from exploring coral reefs, to whale watching, to simply staring out the window at an endless sea, people draw great pleasure from observing this world’s great biodiversity. We enjoy the ocean in many different ways. Some enjoy the adrenaline pumping feeling when swimming underwater with hundreds of multi-coloured fish roaming round. Some enjoy the epic struggle between man and beast, the fisherman’s battle to land his catch. Others simply enjoy observing the brilliant array of colours, as fish swim in and around the reef.

Coral reefs in Hikkaduwa

The marine biodiversity found around Sri Lanka ranges from microscopic algae to the giant blue whale. Our tourism industry has built around supplying these aesthetic pleasures and people travel long distances just to bask in the presence of the biodiversity of our oceans. For tourists to Sri Lanka whale watching is a growing industry, with much popularity.

Overfishing

A few days ago, we commemorated the International Day on Biological Diversity. The theme for this year was ‘Marine Biodiversity.’ Our Biodiversity Secretariat had organized a series of awareness campaigns with the coordination of other stakeholders to mark the event.

Fishing is a way of life for many people in Sri Lanka. Seafood is an important industry and important for our economy. Our fishermen depend on the stocks of fish that they catch to be sustainable if they are to continue fishing into the future.

But one of the leading threats is overfishing which has and still happens today. Overfishing is the primary cause for the collapse of the many stocks, which has eliminated them to the point that they may not ever be a sustainable stock again.

According to Dr. Rekha Maldeniya, Head of Marine Biological Resources Division of NARA, most of the common commercial fish stocks, such as hurulla are depleted by over- exploitation. She also says that sea cucumber, chank, lobster and shrimp are high on the list of threatened species. While coastal fish are in the top of the list, many offshore fish stock, including tuna and shark are also over-fished. Addressing a seminar recently she emphasised that Sri Lanka was once famous for pearls worldwide but today that industry too has died down completely. She cautioned same fate will fall upon other fish species unless remedial actions are taken.

Awareness

If we talk about worldwide situation, 60 percent of the global stocks of valuable fish are either overfished or fished to the limit. This is not to mention that 75 percent of catch for certain types of fisheries is by-catch, an estimated 27 million tons of often dead or dying fish being thrown back each year.

This by-catch is also the killer of many other unwanted creatures such as rays, turtles, seabirds and cetaceans. Another imbalance is occurring as more and more of our large predatory fish are beginning to decline in numbers.

This decline can be attributed largely to industrial fishing vessels, factory ships in international waters, hauling enormous amounts of fish with little regulation.

Lack of knowledge keeps us from knowing what exactly these repercussions are, but that is no excuse to continue these atrocities. Unless we push to conserve these species we may lose them and the fishing stocks with them.

From mangrove swamps to the darkest depths of the ocean, the marine ecosystem supports an overwhelming array of plants and animals which are crucial to the survival of humanity.

Coral reefs provide home to many marine species. They also protect coastlines from storm surges, support productive fishery industries and provide the main source of protein and income for coastal families. Coral reef-dependent species also have scientific, pharmaceutical and educational value, and are extremely valuable as tourist destinations.

Sea grasses form the basis of a complex coastal ecosystem, supporting both threatened and economically important fishery species.

Their leaves protect animals like sea squirts, which serve as the base of food sources for a hierarchy of larger animals such as fish, sea birds, crabs, lobsters, dugongs and sea turtles. Their foliage also slows down water currents and traps sediments, thus, improving near-shore water clarity.

Strategy

With massive root systems, mangrove forests serve as buffer zones in coastal areas. These ecosystems regulate the impact of strong storm surges to coastal communities by absorbing the energy of strong waves and wind. As forests, mangroves serve as carbon sinks that mitigate pollution; as carbon dioxide stores that improve the fertility of the land; and as soil-erosion checks that capture and accumulate rich sediments in its roots. These same roots attract marine species that may be harvested, sold or consumed by local inhabitants.

Sri Lanka has the benefit of, and responsibility for, a long coastline which constitutes a vital biological, geochemical, and physical milieu that supports human health, societal well-being, and creation of wealth. For thousands of years, this ocean has provided habitat for species of traditional and cultural significance to our people. That is why marine scientists maintain that sustainably exploited fish populations and environmentally responsible aquaculture operations should provide secure local and national access to the protein and oils contained in seafood.

Sri Lanka today faces significant challenges in its efforts to conserve and sustain marine biodiversity in light of climate change, fisheries and aquaculture.

Among these three factors, human-induced climate change represents the greatest challenge primarily because its effects on marine biodiversity will not be readily reversed. Some might argue for complacency on the basis that little can be done to mitigate the effects of climate change. Marine experts assert otherwise. The simplest and best strategy to deal with climate change is to protect existing diversity and to rebuild depleted populations and species to restore natural diversity.

The challenge then is to sustain them at levels at which Sri Lanka’s marine biodiversity is able to optimize the ecosystem services that the oceans provide in support of Sri Lankan society and in support of the welfare of the global community.

By improving and protecting the health of our ocean, such a strategy will restore the natural resilience of Sri Lanka’s ocean ecosystems to adapt in response to the challenges posed by climate change and other anthropogenic activities.

Activities

Action has already been taken by Sri Lanka, in many respects with the intention of conservation and sustainable utilization of marine biological diversity. Sri Lanka acts as a leading member country in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Sri Lanka is also a member country of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME) project.

Sri Lanka has launched a programme for regulation of commercial marine mammal watching, particularly of whales and dolphins. Regulations have already been drafted for marine mammal viewing which occurs off the coasts all around the country. These were drafted in view of the need for special conservation measures for marine mammals and sustainable development of the resources for the benefit of the tourist industry.

A Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) has been established in Sri Lanka as an independent NGO to device and facilitates the implementation of sustainable marine turtle conservation strategy through education, research and community participation.

Sri Lanka is committed to collaborative approaches to development and implementation for the exploitation and sustainable utilization of biological resources.

Challenges

We have done a fair amount of work and lot more remains to be done. Man is the main threat to our biodiversity and man is also the solution. Our people need to be made aware of the important role marine biodiversity plays in our world and in our lives, and the importance of conserving it. This is where our younger generations become very important.

They are the decision makers of the future. It is up to them to pick up the torch and hopefully surpass the conservation efforts of the generations of conservationists before them.

It is important to educate these generations about its importance at all stages of their educational development.

With the continued education of this knowledge, we can make a difference and conserve our marine biological diversity for future generations to come.

The necessity to act quickly is immense, for even today we are slowly losing species and populations. And if we continue to learn about our oceans, continue to educate our younger generations, and work cooperatively with our fellowmen, it may not be too late to conserve our great marine biological diversity.